Mr Logic

"A weaker Ameobi at best.."

Dalglish, less than 4 months at Celtic after over 2 years out of the game since leaving Newcastle. Gullit, 5 years out of management after leaving Newcastle before a failed season at Feyenoord. Currently LA Galaxy celebrity manager. My point was they weren't exactly hot property after their careers ended here. So in our search for the next manager how many would be put off by the track record of hiring and firing that went on here. One thing I am pretty sure of, if Mort and Ashley set about finding a new manager they're unlikely to make a mistake and he will be given time. I'm looking forward to it already.

Just struck me, reading that, off-topic. I wonder how many managers have never really worked again (to date) in management after being sacked by Newcastle. Dalglish, Gullit, Souness, any more?

This season 12th to 14th is looking increasingly the more likely.

Poll results seem pretty conclusive. Post it to Mort.

Pissing myself here, lad hasn't even signed on the dotted line yet and he's shite already.

Was it Cloughie who said 'It's not rocket science is it..' I said a couple of months ago Sam had his head so far into statistics now that he had forgotten the simple things. Need a Back to Basics campaign here, get the dossiers out.

He needs an hour long session with his own clinical psychologist after comments like that.. "It was a poor performance - we couldn't cope with Wigan being high-tempo and hard-working. "Some of our players have not lived up to their reputation. "The front players have not held the ball up and the creative players have not created. Today the appetite to beat the opposition was not there. I'm not happy to have my future in their hands. Firstly how the hell can you admit they couldn't cope with the tempo of the game. If the other side is dictating the tempo it's your job as manager to change things on the pitch and sort it. And this was Wigan tempo, god forbid what happens when it's Manyoo tempo. There is no secondly. Thirdly, I am getting increasingly concerned with his apparent inability to hold his own hands up and admit some culpability. It's not the first time we've seen this level of confused sunday park football. All these players knew how to play before he got here or, if he signed them, before they got here. He must have had some input on the current shambles we're watching. Just hold your hands up Sam and admit the current players are not adapting to your tactics, and as the competitive fixtures of the PL is not the place to continue experimenting just get back to basics for now and let them play. Get the players you need in the next window, but in the meantime don't blame the players for their inability to follow your instructions when presumably you work with them week in week out in training and can see what is being taken in and what is not. Work with what you've got, don't try and make something that isn't there when there are 3 points at stake every week.

Teams who score more goals than they concede win matches. Who would have thought it? It was the manner in which they win them that my post alluded to, but you knew that, didn't you.

Watching football has to be entertaining or I won't watch it, simple as. Big Sam's team is currently serving up dross the vast majority of the time, and I personally don't have the patience to watch that for 2 more years to see if it gets a bit better. If we are going to have to wait 2 to 3 years before the team and system are complete, (and we are, for if there's one thing that's established it's that no manager ever produced a succesful team in 6 months), I'd rather watch something like Mowbray's brand of football whilst I'm waiting. Just as I enjoyed watching Keegan's brand of football. We have conceded a ridiculous amount of goals this season, something an attacking team is actually far less likey to do as the other team are often kept busy defending. Also a factor with Keegan's team, who conceded far fewer goals than most people seem to think due to the oft quoted media perception of Newcastle's poor defence over the years. I'm not, god forbid, arguing for a 'Return of the Messiah' scenario, but pointing out what I feel most would prefer. To watch attacking football. I was reading the Newcastle Miscellany just yesterday and was surprised to see the goal tally column for a league table from 1926/27 where the team that had finished bottom had managed to score 65 goals; that's more than some top 3 teams get in a season these days. The all time Premiership table lists Man Utd as top, scoring 1140 goals compared to 516 conceded. Again it rather points to the brand of football known as attacking to be rather succesful on the whole. So yeah, I'll throw my hat in the ring for Mowbray too.

He's trying to make amends for the away defeat by hammering them by the look of it, that's as 4-2-4 as you could get with our squad really.

I was only trying to demonstrate the standards of journalism in this country. Couple of days before they (Express) had a small bit about Tozer in and next to it they had some random photo of a negro chap.

Definitelty Ginola on the second shirt, I could just see him wearing it. I'd put Bearsley on the other away shirt and Ferdinand ,Shearer or Lee on the first one.

Can someone who goes to the games comment on Geremis ability as a captain. Ignoring whatever brand of football he plays when he's out there does he perform like a captain, talkative, encouraging, demonstrative?

....any advance.............. Realising 11 is impossible of course..

His reasoning behind it seems sound enough though.. I think part of the difficulty we’ve had – particularly in defence – is getting those guys working together. “I’m not convinced adding another two names in defence is necessarily going to be the solution this season. TBF he doesn't say it won't happen, just he's not convinced. A lot of the new players are getting slagged off as not good enough before they've had a chance to develop understanding together. That some of them also look unsuited to the premiership is also too early to say with any certainty. If it means a solid productive summer tranfer window I'd be happy enough with a couple of youngsters for the squad.

Sunday Sun; Neil Farrington.. Some interesting statements in there, not least the potential direction the club will be taking in buying policy.

On the basis that Cacapa doesn't make mistakes?

We must be setting some kind of record for conceding goals in quick time.

He could be frustrating as hell sometimes, but one moment of magic and all that was quickly forgotten.

I wouldn't miss him, not difficult like as he's hardly been on the pitch. 20 games in 2 years isn't it?

http://i6.tinypic.com/8343ith.jpg

What was the atmosphere like, lots of noise?

As someone else said, boo at the end of 90 minutes. During the game do your utmost to lift the team on the off-chance the positive sounds from the crowd will lift the team. What I find the most amazing is, even knowing what the press are like, so many here are calling Barton for this piece. For all you know he was pacing up and down his room today kicking the cat and thinking. "That's not how I meant it, and yes, I said that and that, but he missed out all the stuff I said about this and this." Anyway, all said and done. You don't need a degree in psychology to understand how uplifting cheers can encourage people and how negative jibes can make them nervous. The point made about Crouch was also a valid one. A great player (not Crouch, obviously) with a slightly nervous disposition, who needs a bit of encouragement because of insecurity issues, but is fantastic on his day.. might think Newcastle? No way, I'm not going there. The St James' Park, or rather the press reporting of the atmosphere, could be a negative factor in the decision making process. You frequently hear players saying one of the reasons they chose to come was because of the crowd, I guess that could go both ways.

Oh aye, but the last line still made me chuckle. And despite the heading the piece falls under you know it's for a wider audience.. ie. anyone who will listen.